Political Parties in Africa: Challenges for Sustained Multiparty
Political Parties in Africa: Challenges for Sustained Multiparty
Political Parties in Africa: Challenges for Sustained Multiparty
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No. Country Electoral system <strong>for</strong> national<br />
legislature (2006)<br />
33 Morocco List PR PR<br />
34 Mozambique List PR PR<br />
35 Namibia List PR PR<br />
36 Niger List PR + FPTP PR<br />
37 Nigeria FPTP Plurality/majority<br />
38 Rwanda List PR PR<br />
39 São Tomé and<br />
Príncipe<br />
List PR PR<br />
40 Senegal Parallel (PBV + List PR) Mixed<br />
41 Seychelles Parallel (PBV + List PR) Mixed<br />
42 Sierra Leone List PR PR<br />
43 South <strong>Africa</strong> List PR PR<br />
44 Sudan FPTP Plurality/majority<br />
45 Swaziland FPTP Plurality/majority<br />
46 Tanzania FPTP Plurality/majority<br />
47 Togo TRS Plurality/majority<br />
48 Tunisia Parallel (PBV + List PR) Mixed<br />
49 Uganda FPTP Plurality/majority<br />
50 Zambia FPTP Plurality/majority<br />
51 Zimbabwe FPTP Plurality/majority<br />
International Idea<br />
Electoral system family<br />
Source: Compiled by the author from Reynolds, A., B. Reilly and A. Ellis, Electoral System Design:<br />
The New International IDEA Handbook (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2005), available at<br />
http://www.idea.<strong>in</strong>t/publications/esd/upload/ESD_full_with%20f<strong>in</strong>al%20changes%20<strong>in</strong>serted.<br />
pdf, downloaded 20 July 2006.<br />
Electoral systems are important because they have crucial impact on party<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance, and particularly on political parties’ prospects of w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g (or at<br />
least shar<strong>in</strong>g) power after the election. It is there<strong>for</strong>e common <strong>in</strong> severely divided<br />
societies <strong>for</strong> electoral systems to become the focus of heightened political debate and<br />
polemic—hence the debate on what electoral system is most representative.<br />
Electoral systems are essential parts of the democratic process. Depend<strong>in</strong>g on what<br />
electoral systems are used, they are vehicles <strong>for</strong> ensur<strong>in</strong>g that parliament, the ma<strong>in</strong><br />
representative <strong>in</strong>stitution, the face of the nation, so to speak, is representative. The<br />
extent to which parliament is representative is a function of whether the electoral<br />
system is capable of reflect<strong>in</strong>g the diversity of <strong>in</strong>terests, ideologies, concerns and<br />
<strong>Africa</strong>n Party and Electoral Systems
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